It's quiet out here
by airbolt
Summary: When a prominent man turns up in the desert missing half his head, Nick and Warrick are sent to investigate My first attempt at a multichapter story , please review!
1. Prologue

" Despatch to all units in vicinity of the Desert Fox Ranch , please respond to a reported 11-7 . 10-4"

Deputy Ray Thomson was busy finishing off his 10-100 and looking for some paper. Deputy Bobby McNally took the call and jogged into the rest room.

" **Tommy. Quit Jerkin' off and haul ass. We gotta 11-7 up at the Ho House**" McNally shouted through the door

" **Prowler? Someone who likes ta watch just like you , ya hump!** " growled Thomson.

" **Bite me** " responded McNally.

The cops slammed the door of the gas station on the way out. The Clerk , Harry Toscada , looked up and sneered " **Nye County's finest prefer pussy to** d**onuts shocker. Film at 11".** He then returned his full attention to his well thumbed jazz mag.

The valley was bathed in blue/white light from a full moon.The Victoria shimmed a little on the approach to the Desert Fox and scrunched to a halt.

The building almost looked industral . It was low –rise and spread out into the surrounding desert. The shabby neon sign spelled " D-sert F-x".Out front was a short , balding man in a shiny jacket. The Deputies introduced themselves.

" **Thank you for your rapid response . I'm Trey Manning . I manage this establishment . One of the girls saw a man outside of her window. Some kinda pervert wants it fer free. He took off when she screamed at him** " the manager said ,in a high nasal tone.

" **Thank you , Sir. Can you show me the window that the incident occurred at?** " McNally was keen to bag this call. The lonely john was likely parked further up the valley and haulin ass for his car right about now.

The officers asked Mr Manning to wait for them in reception and swept the area outside the window. As if on cue a light breeze caused a Sage to whisk past.

" **Just like the movies** " said Thomson .

" **Well , this one doesn't have a happy ending. At least not for mister lonely here** " McNally was all business now. Thomson followed his flash to a well worn F150 Pickup. The Driver wasn't going anywhere. Ever.

" **Oh Shit! "** said Thomson **" You know who that is? "**


	2. Ray

The sun was edging into the valley as the Tahoe arrived from Vegas. The tires threw desert sand into the first beams of sunlight. It would almost have been poetic if not for the dead body in the Pickup. The sheriff strode up to the Tahoe.

" **Morning Gentlemen. My names Albert Wexler . Welcome to Nye County . Thanks for getting here so fast. The doc's just calling it so you should be able to examine the scene pretty much straight away**." He spoke quickly and seemed preoccupied.

" **I'm C.S.I Nick Stokes . We're glad to help out . In fact our sheriff spoke to us personally**. " Nick replied

" **Ah Yes"** Wexler was definitely nervous " **The decedent had a lot of friends** . "

" **C.S.I Warrick Brown , Sheriff. Our Vic was well connected then?"** Warrick had eased out of the Tahoe and loped over.

" **Decedent's name was Ray Ennray. He owned a lot of property in the valley , several leasing companies, a string of gas stations and was rumored to have a slice of the Flamenco. Of course there were rumors of a few other things but nothing ever got to court. Pillar of the community , Widower with one son**. " Wexler said.

There was a sound of raised voices from the front of the building. Wexler excused himself and went to deal with it. Nick and Warrick walked over to the pickup and introduced themselves to the doctor.

" **Time of death about two this morning. Victim is missing back of skull and has burn marks around the mouth. My initial call is death caused by massive head trauma. I hate to run into your park but I would venture the pump-action on the floor to be a very likely murder weapon.The Body is all yours, gentlemen** ". With that the doctor left.

" **Please don't say it , Nick**" grimaced Warrick

" **Gotta, Man,Gotta.** " grinned Nick " **Cause of death – Pump in Pahrump !"**

" **It's just like Gris was here** " Warrick sighed " **I'll take the room and see if the occupant is ready to talk"**


	3. Judy

Warrick took a shoe impression from outside the room where the prowler had been reported. Odds on that they were Ennray's. Warrick smiled lopsidedly and thought – if Gris were here he would say not to get ahead of the evidence. Anyway his betting days were a long time ago.

The inside of the Desert Fox matched the outside. Faded 1980s décor that had never been updated. Warrick half expected to see a picture of President Reagan on the wall. Sheriff Wexler waved him over .

" **Judy , this is Warrick Brown from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. He would like to have a few words with you about last night** " Wexler might as well have talked to the wall for the response he got from Judy.

Warrick bristled. He liked to make his own introductions..

" **It's Judy Penn ,right?** " Warrick asked , getting a uh-huh for his troubles. Whatever planet the girl was on it wasn't this one. Warrick didn't need his C.S.I training to know that she was strung out , possibly bennies , maybe weed or something stronger. Manning obviously ran a loose ship with regard to employee drug tests. "C**an you tell me what happened last night. Judy "**

Her dull eyes didn't meet his. She slurred some of her words. " I**, uh , like was just finishing off with a john. He was , like , taking forever , y'know. I sorta got distracted, started lookin' elsewhere. Then I sees this guy at the window just starin' at me. Creep!. I starts yellin' and Tancredi comes runnin. The guy just rabbits."**

" **Tancredi? " **queried Warrick

" **Uh , yeah , he sorta provides security. Some of the johns think they're real men. Tancredi busts their balls if they step off. He half killed this hispanic guy a while back**" Not once did Judy meet Warrick's eye.

" **Did you get a good look at the man at the window? " **asked Warrick . From all accounts Ray Ennray was famous in these parts. It was no guarantee that Judy would identify him as the prowler though. From her demeanour, Warrick guessed that she wouldn't have recognised Jay Leno if he walked past her.

" **Nuh, no really "** No surprise. " **Mind I see a lot of men but I don't always focus on their faces. Heh …know what I mean, honey?"**

Warrick got the point. Those eyes had probably seen a lot . Just nothing he could use. He thanked Judy and she got up and slouched away. At that point Nick walked in

" **There's nothing more to do out there. The vic is on his way to the coroner. It's the weirdest thing . Theres swelling and marks on his face that look post-mortem" **said Nick

Warrick arched an eyebrow " **The guy commits suicide and THEN gets beaten up? That's harsh, man. "**


	4. Angelo

" **DMV on your F150 shows a Nye County registration to one Hector Alvarez of 1564 West Bell Avenue, Pahrump. No hits or outstanding warrants. Employment records show him working as a landscape gardener. Hope that helps** " Greg's voice was a little faint. Cell reception was patchy in the valley.

" **I thought that old junker was odd for someone like Ennray**" said Nick " **We need to speak to Mister Alvarez. I'll speak to the sheriff. "**

" **Warrick Brown , I heard you was on this case !" . **The speaker was a well built and sharply suited man. His face that was only just going to seed. **" I remember you when you was scrambling for loose chips"**

Warrick kept his cool " **Nick , this is Angelo "Tank" Tancredi, once a leg-breaker at the Maracana and now working as muscle at an out of town whorehouse. Seems someone fished in the wrong pond and had to leave town fast. Why stop at 70 miles , Tank? "**

Tancredi laughed " **You're a funny guy . This Gig keeps me in eats and giggles plus the employee benefits are o.k , if you catch my drift?" **

Nick broke it up** " Mister Tancredi . Did you know Mister Ennray?"**

Tancredi looked at Nick. Sized him up – plenty of gym work ,probably hold his own in a fight but looked like he lacked the killer instinct. All cops were pussies underneath. " **Who didn't know Ray? He owned half the county**"

" **Was he a customer here?** " Nick pressed on to give Warrick a chance to regroup.

" **Now , what you gotta realise is that we run a very confidential business here. Just can't go givin' that sort of info out. Come back with a warrant. Now , if you gents will excuse me there's fornicatin' to arrange**! " Tancredi turned and walked away.

" **You o.k, 'rick?** " Nick asked

" **Never better** " Warrick said " **Tank's just one of the last dinosaurs from old Vegas . Not even important enough to get clipped. Let's go see that Gardener and see what we can dig up! "**

" **You gotta be kidding! That was worse than mine " **Nick winced. The Tahoe kicked up sand and headed for Highway 160 .


	5. Juanita

" **You got to figure a guy like Ennray for classier company than the Desert Fox** " mused Warrick then paused " **Man , I'm sorry , I didn't mean…"**

" **That's o.k , man. It was a long time ago. Maybe Ennray got a rise from low-rent working girls. We've seen all tastes in Vegas. I checked his Cell and theres a lot of texts, all encrypted. I asked one of the Deputies to take everything to the Lab.** " said Nick

The Tahoe pulled up at a modest , well-kept house on West Bell. After several minutes knocking there was an answer.

"** Yes?** " Warrick had run a check on the Alvarez family . This would be Juan , aged 57. He looked twenty years older. " **What can I do for you?"**

Warrick introduced himself and Nick, then asked if Hector was home. It seemed that Hector had a job all that day on Gamebird Road , over two miles away. Warrick figured he hadn't walked. He asked Juan if Hector had reported the missing pickup.

" **We go to Bed early , officer** " said Juan **" I didn't see Hector last night and this morning he was booked to a job. Maybe Antony** **gave him a lift , he works with Hector sometimes** ". There was a rapid burst of spanish from the house . It came from a small woman dressed from head to toe in black. Nick got a little of it. _Juanita…killer…peace_. He could see into the hall. There was a portrait framed in black. A young girl dressed all in white.

" **Thank you for your help , Sir** " Nick stepped in. He needed to get some facts. " **That's all for now".** Warrick looked at him . Nick's hunches were usually on the money.

The next door neighbour had been mowing the same strip five times . Mr Suburban. He might know something, looked like he took an interest.

**" Morning Officer. You here about that hot-rod the mex kid drives? He got the muffler fixed so that it sounds like NASCAR. This is a nice area. It's quiet out here "** said the interested neighbour " **It's one of those damn rice rockets** "

**" It's a Nissan Skyline R34 with the full nitro pack . Packing the full after-market kit and a rad pearl paint job. It's sick, man "** The neighbour's teenage son had appeared on the lawn sporting a T-shirt with TOYO plastered all over. **" Gotta be 40 grand, man"**

Nick thanked the neighbour. Warrick had gone straight to the Tahoe- his radar told him that Nick stood a better chance with the lawnmower man.

**" Lets have a word with Hector . Theres no smell of money coming from the parents . I'd like to see how a 19 year old Gardener gets hold of a full-spec import tuner."**


	6. Hector

Nick phoned the sheriff and asked if he had any information on a Juanita Alvarez.

" **Unsolved homicide two months ago. The vic was a working girl at the Desert Fox. Sister of Hector Alvarez. Deputy McNally was first on the scene. You're going to keep me in the loop on this, right? " **said Wexler, sensing a career case. Nick assured him and closed the call.

This case was uncovering skeletons aplenty . Ray Ennray , local tycoon plays peeper then blows his head off with a shotgun. Chosen mode of transport , an old pickup belonging to one Hector Alvarez . Hector is driving beyond his means. Hector has a recently dead prostitute for a sister. Hector has some hard questions to answer.

" **This could get ugly. Let's wait for the Deputies** " said Warrick as he parked about five houses away from the address on Gamebird Road. He checked his weapon . Warrick packed a Sig , Nick preferred a Glock.

Nick , Warrick and two deputies approached a man digging in the front garden. He turned slowly and dropped the shovel.

" **I've been expecting you** " said Hector.

The sheriff's department was located on the oddly named Radar Road. Warrick had examined Hector for trace evidence and ran a GSR. He hadn't fired a gun recently. He had been in a battle at some stage though. His nose had been broken and hadn't really set properly. He looked to be missing some teeth. There were scars all over his arms . He had come a poor second in the fight, Warrick thought.

Nick lead off with sheriff Wexler overseeing the interview.

" **Hector , what is your connection.to Ray Ennray?** "

Hector looked up " **He's dead right? It was on the radio . Some kind of Businessman right? I never met him , just heard of him"**

Nick pressed on** " So , you wouldn't know why he was found dead in your pickup? "**

Hector replied " **They found my pickup? I woke up this morning to find it gone. I was gonna be late for the job on Gamebird and it's a job I need! Luckily Antony was able to drop me off. I was gonna report it when I finished up at Gamebird. "**

Nick noticed that Warrick had gone outside to make a call. " **Maybe you don't care about wheels so much when you've got a sweet ride in your garage . How did you pay for the Skyline , Hector? Cash or credit? "**

Hector smiled** " Neither . I won it at the Dry Lake "**

Nick looked at Wexley. " **Sometimes the kids hold illegal races up at the Dry Lake. Nothing we can do unless we know in advance. It's all arranged by cell and Blackberry."**

Warrick walked back in . **" I checked. It's registered to Hector Alvarez . Take a look at the prior owner, Nick! "**

Nick puffed out his cheeks. " **Prior owner was Jonny Ennray , son of the recently deceased Ray Ennray "**

Hector lawyered up.


	7. Grissom

"**Show me what you've got **" said Grissom . The case papers and evidence reports were spread across the table at the Lab.

Nick started " **Doc Robbins confirms the initial call of cause of death as being massive trauma to the brain caused by a shotgun blast . Trajectory of the blast and oral wounds show that shotgun was fired inside the victim's mouth. GSR tests on the victim confirm he had fired a weapon. Now for the strange part- multiple contusions around the head indicate massive blunt force trauma inflicted post mortem. Severity of the wounds indicates that this was personal – someone was acting out of hate. " **Nick passed to Warrick

Warrick continued " **Shoe impression was Ennray's , indicating that he was looking in the window at the Desert Fox "**

Grisson stopped him** " Was it just that window? "**

Warrick answered " **Yeah, just that one . So he looks in on Judy Penn then heads for the pickup and does the deed . Pickup was the property of one Hector Alvarez . Juanita Alvarez , his sister worked at the Desert Fox until two months ago when she was murdered. We then found Hector was the proud owner of a shiny new car which he won in a drag race against Jonny Ennray , the son of Ray Ennray "**

Grissom looked thoughtful " **We're very light on physical evidence here. There's a lot of motive to be established as well. We've got to fill in the gaps."**

Nick pushed on** " Archie managed to crack the security on the Cell. There's a series of messages from two months ago to last night. I've put the messages on screen ."**

On Screen Two Months ago – " Ennray , I know a secret about you 

_Six weeks ago – " Ennray , Do you know what the secret is?_

_A month ago – " Ray , seeing as we're friends I'm going to tell you the secret "_

_Two weeks ago – " We'll be meeting soon "_

_The night of the suicide – " Meet me at the entrance to Willow Creek Golf Course. Come alone and unarmed"_

" **Of course the calls were all received from disposable cells** " said Nick , flexing his arms in frustration . " **Theres no mention of Money. It's like the caller was trying to make Ennray suffer for as long as possible . My theory is that whover sent the messages did the post suicide beating . He or she hated Ennray "**

Warrick chipped in** " Sheriff Wexley hinted that Ennray may have had some skeletons in his cupboard . "**

Grissom looked at the evidence spread out in front of him .** " Coming back to the window, what do we have on Judy Penn . Any connection to Ennray? "**

Warrick picked up a folder** " Judy Penn , 19, prostitute working at the Desert Fox Ranch. Multiple vice and drug collars. She was brought up by a variety of children's homes and foster parents. Mother commited suicide shortly after Judy's birth. Father unknown."**

Grissom's eyes clouded over.and his jaw clenched. " **I think I might know why this happened. I hope that I'm wrong ".**


	8. McNally

Warrick pulled up in front of the Desert Fox , his head full of Grissom's theory. It was too horrible to contemplate if true. Either way , he had to find out to wrap the case up. His backup was Deputy McNally.

Judy was happy to provide a DNA sample, not even curious about why. Warrick packed his kit and was about to leave the room when he heard a series of shots from the reception area. Drawing his Sig Sauer 9mm pistol he ran forward at a crouch to reception.

Tancredi was halfway out of his office , lying hunched up in a pool of his own blood.- dead , very dead. Warrick kicked Tancredi's piece out of range .McNally was on his back with blood pouring from a chest wound . " **Officer down , officer down at the Desert Fox. CSI Warrick Brown requesting immediate medivac , priority one!". **Warrick applied pressure to the wound and tried to keep McNally from going into shock.

" **He..he …drew on me…looked hopped up..saw me…just started firing at me.."** gasped McNally

After what seemed like forever the MedAlert Chopper arrived to take McNally to the E.R at University Medical Center.

When Warrick arrived back at the Lab , Nick rushed over to him. " **You o.k , man. We all heard that there was shooting at your location. "**

Warrick realised that he must have looked like he had been in a war. Deputy McNally's blood was spattered all across his shirt and pants. **" I'm fine, I gotta change and then process the DNA evidence. Can you get Bobby to process Tancredi's Gun. Appreciated " **. He walked to the locker room and sat down heavily . He probably ought to go home but he was buzzing with the high of the shooting.

It took a while for Judy Penn's DNA test to come back.

" **There's no doubt?** " said Grissom

" **I'm afraid not " **replied Warrick

" **Then I think we need to speak to Mister Alvarez to confirm my theory** " sighed Grissom. He paged Nick and the three of them headed to the Tahoe. The ninety minute journey on Highway 160 was largely silent.

Only once did Grissom offer a sentence " **Sometimes people look right at the sun knowing that they shouldn't "**


	9. Hector redux

Hector was full of fight . At first. Grissom sat opposite him with Nick and Warrick observing from behind the one way glass.

" **Hector , we already know about Ennray's secret. We don't think that you intended to blackmail Ennray and you can't be charged with killing someone who was already dead "**

Hector waved away his lawyer's objection. " **About six months ago Juanita ran away from home . My pop was really strict with her , no boys , no alcohol. She met Judy Penn in town and got turned onto drugs. She had never even had a beer before and that bitch Judy got her on meth. It nearly killed my folks." **He stopped for a glass of water " **Pretty soon she starts paying for the meth by working at the Desert Fox. As far as mom and pop were concerned she was dead. I went out to the Brothel to drag her out but this Tancredi busts me up with a tire lever.Then , two months ago , I get a call – meet me behind the Stacked Deck on Highway 160. She had she had found something out and she was scared. " **Hector started to cry.

" **Take your Time** " said Grissom.

" **When I got there there were cops everywhere. She was dead. When the cops gave us her effects there was a note in her purse that said " Hector , remember where we used to play? ". I knew she meant the old barn at the Fisher farm. I searched it and found her note. **

Hector 

_I'm so sorry for the hurt I have caused. I need help. This information is too dangerous. Judy asked me to read this report because she couldn't bear to. When I saw the report I lied to her and said it contained no proof of who her father was. _

_Love You , Mom and Pop_

_Juanita_

" **Of course , the report was from an out of town P.I who didn't know Ennray from Blu-Ray " **said Hector** " Ray Ennray , pillar of the community had had a one-nighter with a nice mexican girl. He gets on with life not knowing he left her pregnant . He builds up his empire while his little girl becomes a tart. None of which would have mattered except his little girl drags my sister into the gutter with her." **

" **Oh man , this is too painful to watch " **said Nick , his empathy working overtime

" **Ennray didn't kill Juanita because he didn't know about Judy. Even so I was going to make the Ennray family pay. I started to send the messages but it wasn't enough . I found out Jonny Ennray raced at the Dry Lake. I borrowed Antony's Yenko and raced that rich boy into the ground. I heard Ray Ennray gave Jonny a pounding for losing the Skyline and threatened to cut him off"**

Grissom watched without showing emotion. He knew where the story was leading to.

Hector continued " **After I let Ray twist in the wind I finally wanted to see his face when I told him about his precious daughter. I took a pump-action in the pick-up just in case he had company. When I told him he went apeshit and got hold of the Shotgun. I thought I was a gonner! Instead he gets into the pickup and rabbits. I'm all charged up and grab Ennray's car . I follow him out to the Desert Fox. By the time I get there he was dead. "**

Grissom looked at him** " You felt cheated "**

Hector replied** " I went crazy and started hitting him with a Baseball bat. I wanted more time for him to suffer . Why did he kill himself, why? "**

Grissom eyed him and said** " Maybe we'll never know . "**


	10. Ray redux

Grissom brought the coffee and pastries for the wrap up meeting. Nick brought in some new evidence from Bobby. Warrick brought questions.

" **What's the evidence from Ballistics, Nick? "**

" **Looks like the ammo Tancredi used against Deputy McNally match the 9mm shells used against Juanita Alvarez. Which puts Tancredi away , if he weren't already dead " **Nick replied

" **No loss to the world** " muttered Warrick " **He must have followed Juanita like the pimp he was "**

" **Maybe Ennray had some dealings with Tancredi. As I understand it he used to run in an interesting crowd. Perhaps his " exile " was just a front and he was very much active. He assumes Juanita has info on this and it's worth murdering her " **surmised Grissom

" **Juanita gets murdered for the wrong secret?** " winced Nick

" **We may never know.** **What we do know from a certain Mr Manning is the clientele list of the Desert Fox " **Grissom said , suddenly weary**." Mr Manning keeps very meticulous records of clients , their preferences and …their favorite girls " **He stopped for a moment

"** Ray Ennray's favorite girl was Judy Penn** " 

That night Grissom rode the rooftop roller coaster four times , Nick did circuits until he couldn't do any more and Warrick punched the weights. Anything to feel clean.


End file.
